What payment gateway should I use?

Stripe is the most developer-friendly option with excellent fraud prevention. Shopify Payments works well if you are on Shopify. PayPal should be offered as an alternative at checkout.

Do I need to collect sales tax?

If you have nexus in a state or country, yes. After the Wayfair decision, economic nexus applies in most US states once you exceed threshold sales volume.

How do I handle international shipping?

Start with a few key markets. Use real-time carrier rates, display duties and taxes at checkout, and clearly state delivery timeframes per region.

E-Commerce Launch Checklist

From payment gateway testing to shipping configuration, every task needed to open your online store with confidence.

Checklist: E-Commerce Launch (launch)

Launching an e-commerce store requires coordinating payments, inventory, shipping, tax compliance, and storefront SEO. Missing any one of these can result in lost revenue or legal issues. This checklist covers the full scope of a production-ready online store.

Checklist Items

Test payment processing end-to-end [critical]: Verify credit card, PayPal, and any alternative payment methods through full checkout including refund flow.
Configure tax calculation [critical]: Set up automated tax calculation for all target jurisdictions using a service like TaxJar or Avalara.
Verify inventory tracking accuracy [critical]: Ensure stock levels decrement on purchase, restore on cancellation, and prevent overselling.
Set up shipping rate calculations [important]: Configure real-time carrier rates or flat-rate shipping tables for all target regions.
Implement order confirmation emails [important]: Send order receipt, shipping notification, and delivery confirmation emails automatically.
Optimize product pages for SEO [important]: Add unique meta titles, descriptions, structured data, and optimized product images for each listing.
Configure abandoned cart recovery [important]: Set up email sequences to recapture shoppers who leave items in their cart.
Set up fraud detection [recommended]: Enable Stripe Radar or equivalent to flag suspicious transactions before fulfillment.
Create return and refund policy pages [recommended]: Publish clear policies and link them from checkout to build buyer confidence.
Test mobile checkout flow [recommended]: Walk through the entire purchase flow on mobile devices to catch layout and usability issues.

Common Mistakes

Ignoring tax compliance: Use automated tax software from day one; retroactive tax filing is expensive and legally risky.
No fraud prevention: Enable address verification, CVV checks, and machine-learning fraud scoring before processing real orders.
Poor product photography: Invest in high-quality product images with consistent lighting; conversion rates improve 20-30% with professional photos.

Frequently Asked Questions

What payment gateway should I use?: Stripe is the most developer-friendly option with excellent fraud prevention. Shopify Payments works well if you are on Shopify. PayPal should be offered as an alternative at checkout.
Do I need to collect sales tax?: If you have nexus in a state or country, yes. After the Wayfair decision, economic nexus applies in most US states once you exceed threshold sales volume.
How do I handle international shipping?: Start with a few key markets. Use real-time carrier rates, display duties and taxes at checkout, and clearly state delivery timeframes per region.